History Literature / PurpleHibiscus

* AlasPoorVillain: YMMV on this one, but [[spoiler: Eugene's death may be seen as a tragic necessity, seeing as he did hae truly good intentions.]]
* AssholeVictim: [[PlayingWithATrope Played with]] when [[spoiler: Eugene is killed by with wife. He was [[AbusiveParents an abuser]], but he did care for his children.]]

* BittersweetEnding: Kambili is a free young woman, but her love is a long way away, [[spoiler:her father is dead and her brother's in prison]]. The novel ends with a note of hope though - she can see that things are about to change, hopefully for the better.

* AlasPoorVillain: YMMV on this one, but [[spoiler: Eugene's death may be seen as a tragic necessity, seeing as he did hae truly good intentions.}}
* AssholeVictim: [[PlayingWithATrope Played with}} when {{spoiler: Eugene is killed by with wife. He was [[AbusiveParents an abuser]], but he did care for his children.]]

* HateSink: Surprisingly enough, [[AvertedTrope averted]] with Eugene, who is meant to be pitied rather than hated.

* InMediasRes: The first chapter details what happens just after Kambili and Jaja's second visit to Aunty Ifeoma's, before going to the actual start of the story.

* PerfectionIsImpossible: one of Eugene's primary triats is that he expects nothing short of perfection from his children in school and in faith. His children, who are human and therefore not perfect, fall short of his standards often and are harshly punished.

* BittersweetEnding: Kambili is a free young woman, but her love is a long way away, her father is dead and her brother's in prison. The novel ends with a note of hope though - she can see that things are about to change, hopefully for the better.

* SpotOfTea: the Nigerian Eugene drinks tea from a colonial tea set often, inviting his children to take a sip and burn his love into their tongues. [[spoiler: eventually, his wife starts putting poison in the tea he drinks every day as revenge, causing him a KarmicDeath]]

* Futureshadowing: The first scene of the book is Eugene smashing Beatrice's figurines in anger. The following chapters detail the series of events that caused this.

* RaisedCatholic: Literally in the case of Kambili's family, and it's a particularly brutal and repressive form. Eugene even punishes his children when the driver reports they visited their grandfather for longer than the allotted time limit of *fifteen minutes*.

* DespairEventHorizon: Possibly with Beatrice after Eugene shatters her figurines in anger and [[spoiler: almost beats Kambili to death.]] She becomes less mindful of certain behaviors that she used to hide, such as taking food to Jaja's room without wrapping it in a blanket, and [[she begins adding poison to Eugene's tea every day not long after these incidents.]] Her overall demeanor never changes though, so it is difficult to determine the exact catalyst event.

* RaisedCatholic: Literally in the case of Kambili's family, and it's a particularly brutal and repressive form. Eugene will not even allow his children to visit their grandfather for more than *fifteen minutes* because he has not converted.

* CoolOldGuy: An unconventional example in Nnukwu. he might not be powerful or full of magic but he obviously cares for the family very much, telling his grandchildren stories, remaining strong in the face of his son cutting himself off completely and yet still praying to their ancestors for the errant son as much as he prays for his daughter.

* AbusiveParents: Eugene To Kambili and Jaja. He seems to genuinely love them, but the two are put under immense pressure to do well at school, forbidden to speak to their grandfather, beaten often and he [[spoiler: scalds their feet as punishment. Eventually, Kambili ends up in hospital.]]

-> "Jaja’s defiance seemed to me now like Aunty Ifeoma’s experimental [[FlowerMotifs purple hibiscus]]: rare, fragrant with the undertones of freedom, a different kind of freedom from the one the crowds waving green leaves chanted at Government Square after the coup. A freedom to be, to do."
-->--Main Character Kambili on her brother Jaja's questioning of religion

!!! Tropes used

"Purple Hibiscus" is a 2004 novel by Nigerian author Chimanda Ngozi Adiche. It is a [[ComingOfAgeStory coming of age story]] in which a teenage girl watches her brother question her father's beliefs, discovers her own heritage and finally blooms into a competent, confident young woman.

The book explores many themes like loss, suffering and particularly change, which is represented by the [[TitleDrop titular]] purple hibiscus. It is now studied as part of a popular GCSE English Literature course in England.

The book explores many themes like loss, suffering and particularly change, which is represented by the [[TitleDrop titular]] purple hibiscus.